IUCN threat status:

Distribution

Range Description

Sympetrum fonscolombii is a widespread and common species found from the south to the north of Africa, including Madagascar, southern Europe and eastwards to the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and the Indian Ocean Islands. Its African range is often exaggerated (Dumont and Martens 1988). The species becomes scarcer towards the north but has expanded its range considerably in the last decades and is now common in most of Central Europe. It has a nomadic behaviour and shows a strong tendency to migrate, and has been found northwards as far as Scotland, the Swedish island of Öland and Latvia. It is likely that climate change will promote a further northwards expansion in the future.